Orange County Transportation Commission

On Jan. 2, The Times editorial page contained an editorial opposing a citizens' coalition challenge to Measure M headlined "Conspiracy to Kill 'M.' " A conspiracy, according to Webster, is "to work together secretly, as to commit a crime." It is indeed curious that The Times would use such an injudicious title to describe a legal action by a group of longtime volunteers in county affairs, particularly since the legal points were raised last August, and copies of all letters notifying the Orange County Transportation Commission were provided to The Times on the same day of public release.

Regarding the possible consolidation of the transportation agencies of Orange County: I don't think consolidation is good for the transit riders and taxpayers of Orange County. I don't know how it will affect the handicapped. I don't know how it will affect bus fares. County Supervisor Roger R. Stanton wants the handicapped and senior citizens to have free Dial-A-Ride and no van services for the general public. If van service is free for the handicapped and senior citizens, how much will bus service fares be?

The agencies building three south Orange County tollways voted Thursday to oppose efforts to merge them with the county's transit district and Transportation Commission. The boards of the tollway authorities cited legal opinions that a merger would jeopardize the sale of bonds to finance construction of the San Joaquin Hills, Eastern and Foothill tollway projects.

Plans for speeding the flow of traffic on Imperial Highway by designating the thoroughfare a "super street" may be running into a major roadblock in this city. City Council members say that when the Orange County Transportation Commission presents a draft of the final proposal later this summer they are likely to oppose any widening of Imperial to eight lanes, and also the plan to end the project at the western city limits. "I don't object to moving traffic," Councilman William D.

A plan to alleviate traffic bottlenecks near the junctions of the Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and Garden Grove freeways by uprooting homes in North Tustin for a freeway extension is not a good idea, the Orange County Transportation Commission was told. The commission's policy committee voted to remove from consideration five potential freeway connectors that would have required highway engineers to tunnel under North Tustin or remove hundreds of expensive homes.

I have just read the Commentary piece on Measure M by Stan Oftelie, executive director of the Orange County Transportation Commission (Nov. 12). I agree with almost everything Oftelie says, as probably everyone else does. However, he tacitly lays the blame for the failure of Measure M on several causes that are indeed valid, but he neglects the one outstanding cause: the county itself. It is patently impossible to do anything constructive in easing traffic until and unless the county ceases to authorize more and more construction, whether it be hotels, condo, resorts, office buildings.

After a dozen years of waiting, residents of the Rossmoor area near Seal Beach will be getting a much-sought freeway sound wall. The Orange County Transportation Commission voted Monday to appropriate $2 million for the project, which is scheduled to go out for construction bids in July if details about adjacent landscaping and state reimbursement of the monies advanced by the agency are worked out. The wall will be built between homes and the San Gabriel River Freeway.

February 19, 1989 | WILLIAM E. FARRIS, William E. Farris is a member of the Orange County Transit District Board of Directors

After sifting through myriad proposals touting the benefits of merging Orange County's transportation agencies, I've reached one conclusion: Our county desperately needs to replace the Orange County Transportation Commission with a new policy board to oversee transportation planning well into the next century. And we need to do it fast. What may seem odd about my suggestion is that I voted against a merger when the question was put to us on the committee designated to study the issue.

I read with great interest about the Orange County Transportation Commission's efforts and plans to solve the ever-increasing problem of traffic strangulation in Orange County: the future freeway and road expansions, the workshops and the paid transportation studies. All are well-founded. The only problem with all these endeavors is that the OCTC is simply not addressing the root cause of the traffic difficulties. The simple answer is slow or controlled population growth. If 1,000 condos are permitted to be built, 2,000 more cars are added to our already choked-up highways.

The search for James Roosevelt's successor on the Orange County Transportation Commission was narrowed Monday to two high-profile, politically well-connected lawyers. Using a complex scoring system, commission members ranked Dana W. Reed, Gov. George Deukmejian's former Undersecretary of Business, Transportation and Housing, and trial lawyer-activist Wylie A. Aitken one-two in a field of 38 nominees. Final selection is scheduled for the commission's Jan. 11 meeting in Santa Ana.